A gossamer curtain called the aurora
australis, or southern lights, hangs above
the British Antarctic Survey's Halley
Station (above). Measurements here first
revealed a "hole" in the atmosphere's
ozone layer, which shields the earth from
harmful frequencies of solar radiation.
Off the Antarctic Peninsula, unusual
weathering of this rock resulted in a green
web of copper tracings. The diversity
and extent of Antarctica's mineral wealth
remains largely undetermined, although
extensive coal deposits are known to
exist. But daunting logistical problems
make exploration and mining, already
controversial, commercially unfeasible.